Elizabeth Pollard (1841-c1910)
Elizabeth was born in 1841 in Perranzabuloe, Cornwall to Christopher and Mey Pollard, nee Floyd. Elizabeth was the 9th of what would eventually be 11 children for the couple. Her siblings were James, Jane, Christopher, Henry, Mary, John, Joseph, Caroline, Richard & Robert Floyd. Cornwall Elizabeth came from a family of miners. When she was only 5, her eldest brother James died in a mining accident that killed many of the men in the town. It is beleived that this incident may have been the trigger in the family to plan to move to South Australia. They emigrated together, arriving in South Australia on board the ship "Sultana" on 10/8/1851. Victoria It appears the family did not stay in South Australia long and moved to Victoria with the event of the gold rush. Some of her elder brothers and sisters stayed in South Australia while Elizabeth travelled with her parents and the younger siblings to the Ballarat/ Bendigo/ Castlemaine area. Where they first settled is unknown. First Marriage On 25.4.1857, Elizabeth married John A Sam, a 29 year old miner from China in the Church of England at Tarrangower (now known as Maldon). Only about 50 Australian women are known to have married Chinese miners during the gold rush, and it is not known if there were any children from this marriage, or what happened to John Sam. In 1858, she lost two brothers to 'colonial fever' within days of each other in the Campbell Creek area. It is possible that John A Sam may have fallen victim to the same illness and his death remains unrecorded. Elizabeth's mother died in 1860 and, within a year, her father had married again to Emma Agate. Three children (and possibly four) were born of this marriage, but it is uncertain how and if they were accepted by the children of Christopher's first wife. This is born out by the treatment of the children when father Christopher eventually died. Second Marriage and inheritance Elizabeth was married to her second husband in 1867 and used her maiden name of Pollard (not Sam). Why this occurred is not known. Her second husband had been born in Wandsworth, Surrey and was also a miner. Elizabeth’s father Christopher died in 1887 made a will in favour of Elizabeth, appointing her executrix. He left her “all my property in land and houses, situated in Fryers and Templeton Streets, Guildford with any and all monies.” Christopher's second wife was still living at the time so it is possible that they may have separated, hence Elizabeth inheriting all his property. The children of the second marriage were sent to various children's homes, but it is unclear exactly when this occurred. In 1903, the electoral roll lists, Elizabeth, husband William and son Christopher at Myers Creek. William is a miner and Christopher is a labourer. It is still unknown at this stage when Elizabeth died. Children |- |colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |'Children of William and Elizabeth Wicks' References * Category:Born in Perranzabuloe Category:Married in 1857 Category:Married in Tarrangower, Victoria Category:Year of death uncertain Category:Non-SMW people articles